Door buffer



Dec. 4, 1928. 1594,29?

A. R. WHITTINGTON DOOR BUFFER vwenfoz Patented Dec. 4, 1928..

PATENT OFFICE.

ALLEN R. WHITTINGTON, 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

DOOR BUFFER.

Application filed October 21, 1927. Serial No. 227,698.

This invention relates generally to door bufiers, especially those designed for use in vehicle bodies.

One of the essential objects of the invention is to reduce the cost of manufacturing such buffers by the elimination of certain parts such as the rubber blocks heretofore used in combination with metal wear plates, and the substitution for such combinations of fewer and more durable parts of special design that will cushion and yieldably resist the load of the doors without becoming inoperative due to hardening. Another object is to provide door buffer cushion members that are formed entirely of metal and that without any auxiliary yieldable or resilient cushion members or backers are capable of not only resisting the initial strains and stresses incident to the closing of the doors but.are also capable of resisting and cushioning the entire load of the doors after they are closed, thereby serving the dual function of rubber blocks and wear plates heretofore used in combination.

Heretofore the socket portions of such buff ers were provided with two blocks of resilient material that were spaced apart in a suitable casing to receive the usual dovetail member tongue or projection therebetween. Such blocks were provided upon their inner faces with metal plates or strips for direct engagement with the tongue or projection of the usual dovetail member. Thus the manufacture of devices of that type necessarily involved the cost of the crude rubber or other stantially flat metal base 5 that is secured by resilient material from which the blocks were made, the cost of making or molding the rubber into desired block shape, the cost of shaping and pressing the metal wear plates to conform to the opposed faces of such blocks, and the cost resu tin from the time and labor required to assem lile together and anchor the finished blocks or wear plates in the socket members of the buffers. Moreover, in use, the rubber of such blocks frequently lost its resiliency or became hard due to exposure to the weather elements, and thereby became inoperative. Hence such constructions are objectionable.

With the present invention the combinations of blocks of resilient material and their wear plates have been dispensed with entirely, and I have accordingly eliminated the cost of the crude rubber, the cost of molding the rubber into blocks and the cost of assembling the wear plates with the rubber blocks in the socket members of the buffers. I have also obviated the'likelihoodof any of the parts be'comlnginoperative due to hardening on account of exposure to the weather elements.

As shown, the bufl'er member of my invention has, as a substitute for the rubber block combinations just described, two spring metal members of special design that may be easily and mexpensively manufactured and may be easily and quickly mounted in the socket members of the buffers. These springs of special design constitute the sole means for cushioning and gripping the tongue of the dovetail member.

In the accompanying drawings:

7 Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a door jamb with the socket member of a ltaufier embodying my invention applied there- Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective View of a free edge of a door with a dovetail member embodying my invention applied thereto Figure 3 is a detailed perspective View of one of the cushion members;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view through the socket member of my buifer;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the lateral tongue of the dovetail member disposed between thecushion members in the socket member of my buffer.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 is a dovetail member, 2 is a socket member and 3 and 4 respectively are the cushion members of a buffer embodying my invention.

As shown, the dovetail member has a subsuitable screws 6 in a recess 7 in the free edge of a door 8, and is provided throughout its length with a laterallyprojecting elongated or substantially rectangular shaped tongue 9. Preferably this tongue 9 is integral with the base 5 and'is provided at its forward end with bevelled edges 9 and 9" respectively to facilitate its insertion between the cushion members 3 and 4. o

The socket member 2 is adapted to receive the tongue 9 of the dovetail member and preferably comprises a hollow substantially rectangular shaped open faced body, box, or casing section 10 and the cooperating cover or escutcheon plate sections 11 and 12 respectiyely. As shown, the body section 10 is received in a recess 13 in an edge 'of the door jamb 1 4. and-is provided at its upper and lower ends with lateral attaching flanges 15 and 16 respectively. Preferably the oposite vertical side walls 17 and 18 of. the ody section are provided with horizontally aligned outwardly opening slots 19 and 20 and are provided at the edges of these slots with short inwardly converging flanges 21 and 22 respectively. Preferably these slots 19 and 20 are disposed at points substantially midway of the upper and lower ends of thebody section so that elongated pockets 23 and 24'respectively of substantially equal size are provided above and below-'the said slots 19 and 20. As shown in Figure 1, the cover sections 11 and 12 overlap the attaching flanges 15 and 16 and the open face of the body section 10 and terminate at the side edges of the slots 19 and '20 so that the socket member formed by the body and cover sections 10, 11 and 12 respectively is pro-' vided throughout its width with a transversely extending laterally opening openended slot 25 for receiving the tongue 9 of the dovetail member. In this connection it will be noted that the tongue 9 of the dovetail member may" enter the said slot 25 at either side of the socket member, hence this one form of socket member may be used without change in jambs on either the left or right side of the vehicle body.

. The cushion members 3 and 4 are located in the pockets 23 and 24 in the body section 10 of the socket member and are adapted to cushion and grip the tongue 9 of the dovesubstantially C-shaped end portions 27 and 28 respectively. As shown, the cushion members 3 and 4 are arranged with thelongitudinally curved portions 26 thereof projecting from the pockets 23 and 24 into the slot 25 and with the C-shaped end portions 27 and 28 in engagement with the vertical side walls 17 and 18 respectively of the body section 10. The length of each cushion member 3 and 4 is slightly greater than the width of' the body section 10, hence when inserted the said cushion members are held slightly compressed against the side and end walls 17, 18, 17 and 18 of the body section by the converging flanges 21 and 22. As a result rattling is obviated and proper cushioning and gripping action by the said cushion members is insured.

In use, when the door 8 is closed against the jamb 14, the tongue 9 of the dovetail member will be received between the curved portions 26 of the cushion members and will be cushioned and gripped thereby. Upon engagement of the tongue 9 with the cushion members the curved portions 26 thereof will be flattened and the C-shaped end portlons 27 and 28 will be contracted. (See Figure 5.) As the portions 27 and 28 are of spring metal, they will serve as spring. cushions for the intermediate portions 26 and Will maintain the latter firmly against the tongue 9. Thus, the lower spring member 4 withstands the load of the door when closed and thereby as a single element serves the dual function of the usual rubber block and wear plate combinations. When the tongue 9 is withdrawn the cushion members will automatically assume their normal position as shown in Figure 4.

While it is believed that from the forego-- ing description, the nature and advantage of my invention will be readily apparent, I desire to have it understood that I do not limit myself to what is herein shown and described and that such changes may be resorted to when desired as fall within the scope of what is claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Ina door dovetail member, a. casing having a laterally opening transversely extending recess for receiving a tongue of a door dovetail member, means in said casing for cushioning the tongue of a dovetail member ineluding a substantially arcuate shaped spring extending transversely but movable freely longitudinally of said casing at one longitudinal edge of said recess, abutments for said spring on said casing at opposite ends of said recess, and substantially C-shaped strips of yieldable material projecting rearwardly.

from said spring at the opposite ends thereof and freely slidably engaging fixed parts of said casing and constantly pressing said spring toward said transversely extending recess whereby said spring will be held against said abutments when said tongue is outside of said recess and will be held against said tongue when in said recess, said C-shaped strips being contractible and adapted to curl and slide around on fixed parts of said casing when said spring is engaged and moved longitudinally of said casing by said tongue to cushion the said spring. 2. In a door buffer, a casing having substantially parallel end walls and provided intermediate of said walls with a laterally opening transversely extending recess for receiving a tongue of a door dovetail member, means within said casing for cushioning the tongue of a dovetail member including a spring ex- 1 tending transversely but movable longitudinally of said casing at one side edge of said recess, flanges projecting from the casing at opposite ends of said recess and serving as 'stops for said spring to limit movement thereof toward said recess, and substantially C- shaped extensions projecting from said spring at the opposite ends thereof adapted to curl and slide upon the end walls aforesaid of said casing to cushion the tongue of said dovetail member and constantly pressing said spring toward said recess so that said spring will be held against but will be slidable on said flanges when a tongue is outside of said recess and will be held firmly by said C-shaped portions against a tongue when the latter is in the recess.

3.- In a door buffer, a casing having a transversely extending laterally opening recess for receiving a tongue of a door dovetail member, and a metallic memberinsaidcasing at an edge of said recess for engagement with the tongue of a door dovetail member, said member being in the form of an elliptical spring and having an intermediate dovetail tongue' engaging portion extending transversely of but movable freely longitudinally of said casing, and

- having substantially C-shaped end portions freely slidable on and from the side and end walls respectively of said casing toward the center of said casing, said dovetail tongue engaging portion and end portions of said spring member being movable simultaneously in said casing upon engagement of a door dovetail member with said dovetail tongue engaging portion whereby said spring memr not only takes initial strains incident to the closing of the door but is also cap-able of withstanding alone the load of and cushioning the door when it is in fully closed position.

4. In a door buffer, a box like casing having a recess in one side Wall thereof for the reception of a tongue of a dovetail member, and metallic elements entirely within said casing and constituting the sole means for cushioning and gripping said tongue comprising two separate and-independently operable arcuate shaped springs extending transversely of said casing from the recessed side wall aforesaid to the opposite side wall of said casing, said arcuate springs being freely movable longitudinally of said casing and opening toward the end walls thereof with a space between adj acent arcuate intermediate portions of said springs in substantial alignment with but normally narrower than the recess in said side wall, said springs also having end portions freely slidable on and from the inner sides of the end walls of said casing and serving as yieldable cushions for said springs. 5. In a door buffer, a box like casing having a recess in one side wall thereof for the reception of a tongue of a dovetail member, and metallic elements entirely within said casing and constituting the sole means for cushioning and gripping said tongue comprising two separate and independently operable substantially arcuate shaped springs extending transversely of said casing from the recemed side wall aforesaid to the opposite side wall of said casing, said springs having contractible substantially C-shaped end portions slidably engaging the end walls of said casing and extending and movable freely therefrom toward said arcuate shaped portions, the said arcuate shaped portions of said springs being spaced apart a distance less than the thickness or width of sai tongue and being in the path of a tongue entering the recess in said side wall, whereby a tongue after passing through the said recess will engage and flatten out the arcuate portions of said spring and Will thereby cause said C-shaped end portions to contract and slide on the end walls of said casing toward said arcuate shaped portions.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALLEN R. WHITTINGTON. 

